Sonya's Patates Braavos: Edition #3 💌🥔

TLDR: biz updates; Israel IG roundup; recipes

welcome note 👩‍💻

Hello, brave potatoes! Edition three on March 3rd—satisfying.
Sometimes I am struck by the potential self-absorbed aspect of launching a newsletter. But then, don’t we, as creators who share work online (influencers, writers, musicians), believe in it? It’s our craft, our art, our voice. Maybe it is presumptuous to assume every person will find something useful but even if one person connects with what I’m sharing, that’s good enough for me!
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This week, I’m deeply enamored with meditation. On Tuesday, I didn’t sleep well (why is my Ottawa street louder than Times Square) and it was day 4 without caffeine (not for long). As I was longingly looking outside the window, I bit the bullet and did a 35-minute meditation with Dr. Joe Dispenza (he explains them deeply in his book). Afterward, I felt an incredible sense of peace, calm, confidence, and belief in myself and the universe. It changed the trajectory of my entire day. Because I was open to going deep inside myself, shedding the protective (but false) layers of the ego, and imagining a different reality. I also love Headspace meditations—if you want to try, I will send you a month's unlimited access for free, just reply to the email. Would love to know your experiences with meditation!

P.S. Ottawa peeps - I'm here till March 15th so make your move if you wanna hang! Toronto peeps - I'll be in the hood for the second half of March!

random cool things corner

• Last week I met with a deeply pregnant woman and we had an awesome chat. She changed my perspective on childbirth. She said, “Don’t be scared of the birth, that’s just one day in your life, be scared of the rest when you bring them home” ☠️😂

• I completed NYC Midnight’s Short Story Challenge in January and now I’m doing the 100-word Microfiction Challenge in April! Join me?

• Who is watching Love Is Blind Season 6?! I’m dying to discuss…

• I watched “This Is Where I Leave You” on the weekend because the cast (Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Connie Britton) is insane but I didn't expect it to be about them sitting Shiva 😂 great dark comedy movie though. Idk why cheating is such a prevalent thing in the media though… there are no other tropes to make for drama or tragedy?

• Attending this cool event in Toronto on March 16th to keep learning:

business updates

• Want to know more about what I do? Read my new content strategy piece.

⭐️NEW: subscriber submissions⭐️

• Did you see something cool or meaningful this week? Reply to my email with the link and I will include it in the next edition!

food corner

• on Monday, I made a mashed potato with sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, and blue cheese. Mashed potatoes always felt so mythical and Thanksgiving but it was literally the easiest thing I ever made.

• went to Montana’s with David last week because they had 5 times the Scene+ points (I’m now a proud holder of the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport Scene+ card) and it was AMAZING. We went a bit overboard and got antijitos, chicken wings, fried shrimp, and beef rib with sides and there were enough leftovers for like 5 days. And it only cost $132 with tax and tip. My caesar came with a rib and was only $8… In this economy!!!

politics corner: Israel-Hamas war 🇮🇱🇵🇸

This is astounding to see. A small percentage of extreme loudness does not represent the silent majority of people.

(Gallery post on IG) Turns out, lack of education isn’t necessarily the leading cause of antisemitism…

(Gallery post on IG) As always, I want peace for both Palestinians and Israelis 🕊️ The horrible stampede this week of the humanitarian aid trucks, which resulted in Palestinian deaths, happened because Hamas hijacks the aid and the billions of dollars funneled into the region. They steal from their own people, instead of governing. Israel provided water. Hamas dug up the pipes and made rockets to bomb Israel. They are sitting on a freshwater aquifer. Hamas allowed this to get polluted with sewage. They are not the right government for the region…